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4 takeaways from Blue Jays' fan event The Leadoff

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Toronto Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins received a warm welcome as they took the stage to address season-ticket holders Thursday night at Rogers Centre.

The event, dubbed The Leadoff, was much warmer than the cold reaction fans have issued since the duo took over their current positions. The surprising departure of fan favorite GM Alex Anthopoulos, the failure to make David Price a contract offer, a lack of big offseason moves, and a perceived unwillingness to spend money put Shapiro and Atkins in a tough spot with Blue Jays backers.

However, cooler heads prevailed Thursday.

Shapiro and Atkins were joined by manager John Gibbons and center fielder Kevin Pillar and answered a series of questions pertaining to the 2016 season.

Here are the highlights:

Encarnacion, Bautista remain a priority:

Middle-of-the-order bats Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion are set to hit free agency at the end of the season, though Shapiro attested the front office will do all it can to try and re-sign both.

"It's a no-brainer that we want to keep them here," Shapiro said. "The sentiment is there and we've expressed that to both guys. We're not going to get into the specific negotiations until we get down to spring training, but those conversations will be had.

"A lot of things will factor in to whether or not we're able to get it done, but we're going to make an effort and it'll happen during spring training."

Bautista said earlier in the day it would be an honor to finish his career in Toronto and that he hopes something is worked out with the new front office. The six-time All-Star also said his camp has not set a deadline to reach an extension, while Encarnacion reportedly will not discuss a deal once the season starts.

Multi-year deal coming for the MVP?:

The Blue Jays and third baseman Josh Donaldson are likely headed to arbitration as the two sides were over $450,000 apart when they exchanged figures last month. However, Atkins is hopeful the team can reach a deal with the reigning AL MVP.

"My discussions with Josh have been great," Atkins said. "He's an unbelievable talent, he's an unbelievable player, he's a great person, and we could not be happier that he's here. We're going to work towards a multi-year deal and hope that we get the best result there."

Green grass on the other side:

The organization announced Wednesday it will begin construction next week to install a dirt infield for the 2016 season, and Shapiro said Thursday he will continue to explore ways to incorporate a grass field into the team's future.

Shapiro acknowledged his preference for real grass, but said the club must first explore the logistics of what it would take to make it work.

"It's still something that we’re researching, Shapiro said. "The study is still going on at Guelph (University), but there's some real challenges. We'll have to figure all those things out, but we've got people far smarter than me that are studying that from an agriculture and an engineering perspective and once we get the report we'll know."

More trouble for Travis:

Devon Travis was limited to 62 games in his rookie season and is expected to miss at least the first month of his sophomore year following shoulder surgery in November.

G - dnpibbons said he hopes Travis returns sometime in May, but believes it could be longer before the second baseman is ready for game action.

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